Traveling Angler Tuesdays: Gear Review - Redington Sonic-Pro Wading Pants

Traveling Angler Tuesdays launched June 26th, 2012 on mattrevors.com. My mission is to prove the concept of fly fishing travel abroad is not just the realm of old rich dudes and magazine writers & photographers. Keep checking back regularly as I share tips & tricks to get you to fly fishing locales you dream of going to. To see past articles & tips, click here.

This is the first Traveling Angler Tuesday gear review.

For any self-respecting Traveling Angler, packing and traveling light should be a major part of the process.

Of course, anglers with their rod tips pointed south have it made: quick-dry pants & shirt, hat, sunglasses, Buff and suitable flats boots. That, in a nutshell, is it.

Anglers traveling to points north (well, typically northwest and maybe northeast) might have to bring some waders along. Waders are bulky and add weight to your luggage, but water temperatures and general climate patterns in some destinations may require them. Hypothermia isn't all that fun, and can definitely occur in year-round.

There exists a wader that packs nicely without taking up too much space and without adding too much dreaded weight to your luggage: Redington's Sonic-Pro Wading Pant.

Waist-high and lightweight, the wading pants use Redington's sonic construction to weld the seams together, resulting in no stitching along the seams. No stitching means no holes. No holes means a better chance of no leaks. These are good things.

I have been using (and traveling with) the Sonic-Pro Wading Pant for the past few months; my review is as follows:

Note: I also have a pair of Redington's Sonic-Pro Zip-Front chest waders, which I have been using (& abusing) for the past two seasons without any issues whatsoever. For comparison with the Sonic-Pro Wading Pants, I have added some notes about the Zip-Fronts as well.

Fit - 3.5 / 5
I am wearing the wading pants in a size large. For the record, I find it difficult to find clothes, fishing-related or not, that fit me well; I am 5'8" and 195lbs, with a 34" (sometimes 36") waist and take a size 9 shoe. I always seem to be on the cusp between medium and large for most clothing. Waders included.

The wading pants fit me comfortably, and their adjustable waist strap & suspenders do what they're supposed to do. The large size would definitely fit a taller man than I, and the neoprene wading booties could easily fit a person with size 11 feet. I wear two pairs of socks when wading (I'm susceptible to cold in the feet due to a minor experience with frostbite) so the roominess of the booties works out well for me.

If I was 5'10" or so, the wading pants would definitely be getting a 4.5 out of 5. In fairness, the same issue came up trying on Patagonia and Simms waders prior to purchasing the Zip-Front chest waders. I'm just an odd-shaped fellow. It's a rugby thing, I'm sure.

Zip-Fronts: Same deal; size large. Definitely made for someone a little taller than me, but they fit comfortably. Neoprene wading booties are also a little big, but a non-issue due to my wearing two pairs of socks.

Mobility - 4.5 / 5
When walking to and from the river, I hardly notice the Sonic-Pro Wading Pant. They feel as light as some of the technical rain pants one can buy at REI or MEC.

For bending over to put on my wading boots, I do have to keep the adjustable waist strap loose until my boots are done up.

There are no issues with kneeling, squatting, climbing over things, etc., while wearing the wading pants.

Zip-Fronts: I have to keep the waders unzipped and the wading belt undone while putting on my wading boots in the zip-fronts, but I've haven't any mobility issues with them, either. However, you definitely notice you're wearing waders when you have them on; though lightweight, they're still chest waders.

Style - wtf? / 5
Who gives a flying rat's ass about style? It's fishing, damn it. If you're worried about style, the figure skating club is probably looking for new members.

Zip-Fronts: Ditto. But they definitely make me feel like a pro. Except when my casting falls apart five hours into a tough day of fishing. Then I feel like a chump in nice waders.

Packability - 5 / 5
This is where Redington's Sonic-Pro Wading Pant shines. These things pack up smaller than your typical hoodie or bath towel, taking up hardly any space at all in my duffel bag. These things are damn-near perfect for traveling.

In fact, do you think this review would make it as a Traveling Angler Tuesday post if I didn't think the wading pants were worthy? Damn straight.

Zip-Fronts: Due to being chest waders and of heavier construction, the zip-fronts take up 2-3 times more space and I'd say weigh about twice as much as the wading pants (estimated). I have, however, taken the zip-fronts on a few trips, without any regrets. They pack smaller than boot-foot waders, after all.

Durability - 3.5 / 5
To be clear: I have had zero issues with the wading pants with regards to durability. The work like they're supposed to: they keep me dry.

That being said, I wouldn't want to take them bushwhacking through a heavy alders or thorn bushes for any great distance. The thought of sliding down a riverbank in them caused me to walk the extra hundred or so yards to a gentler slope down to the water.

Bushwhacking through alders & thorn bushes and sliding down riverbanks, however, is not what they're designed for; used within their limitations and with a little bit of care, the Sonic-Pro Wading Pant should last the angler a very long time. They are extremely well-made.

And they handled an errant size 6 Clouser minnow fairly well. No worse for wear it seems.

Zip-Fronts: Bulletproof. I feel like Iron Man in them, that's how heavy-duty they seem (without sacrificing the lightness & breathability of modern waders). If I was to give the zip-fronts a score out of 5 for durability, it'd be 5.5. Seriously.

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So, needless to say, I'm a pretty big fan of the wading pants from Redington (and the Sonic-Pro Zip-Front waders, too).

Are wading pants for everybody?

Definitely not.

But if you're a small-stream fisherman, fishing from a boat or canoe, fishing cold spring creeks on warm days, or a Traveling Angler, I think you could put the Sonic-Pro Wading Pant to pretty good use. I know I have.

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Product Information:
Redington Sonic-Pro Wading Pants
MSRP:
$229.95
Colour:
Driftwood
Manufacturer's Description:
Ideal waders to fish in when the weather is warm, but the water is still cold or between seasons. Offering Redington's premier Sonic-Pro technology, these wading pants will keep you dry and comfortable. The adjustable waist and optional suspenders make these waders the perfect option for the angler looking for an alternative to a chest wader.
Manufacturer's Website:
www.redington.com

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Disclaimer:

I received the Sonic-Pro Wading Pants from Redington to provide a review on mattrevors.com. 

I'm not entirely sure if I have to return them or not; if I am told to return them, I might just try to buy them instead of shipping them back. If I can keep them free of charge, well, that's pretty friggin' awesome. 

Either way, the preceding review is my honest opinion. This review was not, under any circumstances, biased for or against the waders and/or Redington. I do try to maintain some credibility and professionalism in this whole Writer/Angler thing I'm doing.

The Redington Sonic-Pro Zip-Front Waders also mentioned in this article were bought and paid for by the author, Mat Trevors, via Redington's Guide Staff Program and Fredericton Outfitters & Anglers in the spring of 2011. 

I, Mat Trevors, am not sponsored by or associated with Redington or its parent company Farbank Enterprises, and is accepting no other compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. 

My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established. 

Companies wishing to hire a Writer-Not-In-Residence-But-On-Water can definitely buy my allegiance; however, those companies must be upstanding members of the fly fishing community and produce gear of high quality. I can be reached through the Contact Page.

The quest for the perfect 7wt

I somehow developed an infatuation with seven-weight fly rods this past winter.

Not actually owning a 7wt fly rod didn't prevent this infatuation from forming. That would make sense. As one would expect, logic cannot be allowed to step in the way when it comes to fishing gear. Thus the search for a worthy 7wt began.

Note: I will henceforth refer to it as 7wt Fever.

My research began with targeting smallmouth and was expanded to include Atlantic salmon and then light saltwater angling.

And it was based on this maxim:
Choosing the rod for the size of flies you wish to cast, not the size of fish you wish to catch.

I'll break this down into the various species:

Smallmouth Bass
For smallmouth, my Redington Predator 6wt was great for casting size 4-8 flies, including weighted flies like Clousers and crawfish patterns. But it was severely lacking the backbone necessary for big, wind-resistant deer hair poppers and beefy flies like Barr's Meat Whistle and larger, heavier Clousers. And, while I can easily cast these flies on my 8wt, the fun of 1-3lb smallies is slightly diminished on the  big stick.

And fun is what matters, right?

Enter Doug from Smallmouth Fly Box (with a quote from Tim Holschlag of smallmouthflyangler.com):

If you are going to pick out a favorite rod you have to start with the perfect overall line weight for the species you are after.  The type of water you fish, wind conditions, fly sizes etc. are all factors when choosing a line weight, but many agree that the ideal line weight for smallmouth bass is a 7wt. 

First off, a 7wt is a nice weight to lug around all day, avoiding arm fatigue is always a good thing.  I can toss a large popper as well as a beefy streamer with this weight rod.  If paired with the right line a 7 weight can punch through wind, but if cast correctly it can quietly lay out a bug without a splash.  The 7 weight is the perfect balance between brute force and finesse....and it give you options to toss top water poppers or streamers. 

Smallmouth legend Tim Holschlag had this to say about the 7 weight: 

"What if a person wants to fish different types of water, but can only afford one good rod?  That's simple--get a 7-weight, 9 1/2', medium-stiff, medium-fast action good quality rod.  7-weights may be out of style right now, but they're still the best all-purpose smallmouth rods available.  Over the course of a year, I probably use a 7-weight more than any other type of rod." 

I agree with Tim completely, but I tend to deviate from his recommendation for medium-stiff and medium-fast action rods.  Who am I to contradict Tim Holschlag, a guy that fishes more in one year than I have fished in my lifetime.  Good thing all of this is personal preference! 

So mark one up for 7wt Fever for smallies.

Note - As mentioned in numerous previous posts, my go-to bass rig is now the Cabela's 7/8wt CGR, perfectly paired with Sage's 230gr Performance Bass (Bluegill) line spooled on a Hardy Ultralite 7000DD reel. If I do say so myself, it is the best combination of rod-reel-line I have ever pieced together. And it does support 7wt Fever, as it is officially listed as a 7/8-weight.

Atlantic salmon
Ask any number of New Brunswick fly anglers what rod weight to use for Atlantic salmon and the majority will swear up and down you need an eight or nine weight fly rod.

But applying my rod-for-fly-size maxim above, I decided an 8wt might be too much rod, and a 9wt could definitely be considered overkill* - especially with the cast-cast-step-cast-cast-step methodology used for fishing salmon pools. It's a lot of damn casting.

* - Two contrasting points here: One, the Main Southwest Miramichi is a big river, and the wind can definitely howl. So an 8wt could definitely be beneficial in those situations. Conversely, the typical salmon angler on the Miramichi is almost as old as the river itself, so one would think they would appreciate casting a lighter rod. Just something else to think about.

The fly-size factor was a non-issue: no Atlantic salmon fly is as heavy nor as wind-resistant as a smallmouth fly. For one, current New Brunswick salmon fishing regulations do not permit weighted flies. And the biggest salmon bomber is nowhere near the size of a deer hair popper.

Salmon flies, for the majority of patterns, can be easily cast with rods as light as 5wt.

As for fighting and landing the fish, the rod weight, should be a non-issue. Though a number of 15-20lb salmon are caught each week during the fishing season (except, of course, by me), the majority of salmon hooked are in fact 3-7lb juveniles called grilse.

And that doesn't take into consideration the conventional thinking for leader/tippet test used on the Miramichi is 8lb test, quite often used as a straight piece of 8lb-Maxima tied to the fly line (only us "fancy city boys" or "know-nuthin' youngsters" would ever use a knotless tapered leader...).

So I came to an extremely profound observation in my 7wt Fever study:
Eight-pound test is still eight-pound test, no matter what rod weight you are fishing.

Chalk another point for 7wt Fever.

Light Saltwater
The species (sea trout, snook, redfish, baby tarpon, bonefish) included in this portion of the study were more difficult to justify for 7wt Fever. For me, that is.

For one, as much as I love it, I don't saltwater fish enough to call myself a 'saltwater fly angler'....yet*. So I have to pay attention to guys like Austin Orr, Bjorn Stromness, Davin Ebanks, Captain Gordon & others for a lot of their knowledge and opinions.

* - More on this in the near-future. Some of you (Cameron, Dave, Dean, Scotty D, Tara...if you guys actually read this shit) already know what I'm talking about :)

Secondly, the oft-present sea breezes an angler encounters on the flats can definitely warrant the ubiquitous 8wt saltwater rod. As does the heavier, more wind-resistant fly patterns the angler might be throwing at any given time.

That being said, I am of the opinion there are times where a 7wt would be an ideal choice for light saltwater fly fishing. Especially if the angler can cast. Which I can't, sometimes...

I'll give a half-point for 7wt Fever in light saltwater.

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As the winter months waned, one, shortly followed by a second, 7wt rod fell off the rack at the shop and into the back of my truck (somehow).

However much I stumble through life trying to use critical thinking and not being susceptible to marketing propaganda, the lack of fishing and extreme cold of winter can really throw a wrench into the works. This is breakdown in sanity is often magnified by my addiction to appreciation of fly fishing gear, and a generous staff discount at the local fly shop.

The first rod was a Loop XACT 907-4. It had a medium-fast action and a really comfortable cork-mix handle. In fact, I think I may have bought the rod solely for the handle. I liked the feel of the handle. I mean, I really liked the feel of the handle. Enough to buy the damn rod without casting it.

But it turns out, I didn't like casting the rod. In my quiver post, I had this to say about the XACT:

I have a little twinge of buyer's remorse over this, as I don't necessarily love the medium-fast action on this rod & sometimes wish I would have went with a TFO TiCr, TiCrX or Axiom. But it is what it is, so I'll cope (for now).

Another minor issue was the stripping guide was of an extremely small diameter. I don't know why, but it bothered me...but it doesn't bother me on the CGR. Go figure.

Needless to say, I didn't end up coping for long, as the shop received an order of TFO's Axioms at the end of March. And the XACT was eventually sold to my uber-friendly British Smallmouth Fishing Client (more on that in a future post).

Once the Axiom came along, it was all over. Comfortable grip. Lightweight. Fast action. Big stripping guides. Heck, even the components matched up with my new Tibor Backcountry. On Instagram, I called the Axiom & Tibor Backcountry combo my "one rig to rule them all."

Matched up with an Airflo Ridgeline freshwater fly line, I felt I could cast this setup until the end of time. Salmon flies, weighted bass flies or deer hair poppers, it didn't matter. It truly was one rig to rule them all.

(Cue happy, running-through-flowery-meadow music...like Ray Stevens's 'Everything is Beautiful')

Until I had to make a shot at a tailing carp, less than thirty feet away.

(Cue 'Everything is Beautiful' suddenly stopping to that record-scratching noise)

Fifteen feet of fly line did not, would not, and could not load the Axiom. It was the only shot at a carp that day.

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A few days later I was in the Charleston area on a flats skiff with a new 8wt Airflo saltwater line for the Axiom-Backcountry rig. I figure over-lining the rod would solve the rod-loading problem. I was wrong.

Now, if I was a smart man, I would have spent some time practicing short shots in the days leading up to this fishing trip. But nobody ever said I was a smart man.

I did manage to make some shots as the afternoon progressed. But even with the Axiom over-lined with the 8wt, making short shots was extremely difficult. The rod just didn't load...or, at least I couldn't find the sweet-spot of it loading with so little fly line out of the tip.

Perhaps this wasn't the one rig to rule them all.

Note: I am not absolving myself of the blame. I'll be the first to admit I am not a great caster, and I don't practice my casting enough. Especially short, quick shots typical of sight casting. And that day in particular, this rule was made abundantly clear to me.

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The next night I went out for a quick fish with Captain Gordon outside of Morehead City, NC. The fish were not biting, and we each only took a few casts (it was a fun detour to make, and totally worth it, fish or not).

That night I decided to use the Backcountry on my Redington CPX 8wt. My lightsaber. I truly love this rod. It's fast, but not uber-fast like the Axiom. I could feel the line load the road. My casts were going where I wanted them. I felt my casting mojo return slightly.

I hoped the Axiom was jealous.

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Yesterday morning I clicked over to my Google Reader feeds for the first time in almost three weeks. Amongst the 150 unread posts, I discovered this gem written by Davin Ebanks as a guest post on Bjorn's blog.

I read it twice. Lightbulb moment. Especially this part:

Here’s the straight skinny: ultra-fast rods are the worst rods for bonefishing. I say this for both the expensive and inexpensive sticks. If you can’t feel a rod with less than 30 feet of line out the tip, you’ll miss most bonefish. Bonefishing happens between 30-50 feet. That’s pretty close, and they’re usually moving toward you. You have very little time to get the fly out and feed the fish. If you’ve got to make half-dozen false casts just to load the rod, that fish will be inside 30 feet by then and you’re done. Game over. Redo from start. What you really need is a rod that allows you to cast to that sweet spot in 1-2 false casts. You should not be struggling to feel the rod, and you should be able to accurately present the fly inside 30 feet.

That's a decent summation of what happened in Charleston, except I didn't make a half-dozen false casts. I just tried to force the line. And failed miserably.

Davin's post definitely shed new light into my quest for the perfect 7wt.

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But it's a quest that is now on hold.

I'm in one of those "be happy with what I have" states of mind. The CGR is my go-to bass rig, which I love casting & fighting fish on. I have the Airflo 7wt freshwater lines for the Axiom once I make my return to Atlantic salmon fishing next year. The CPX 8wt and the Backcountry pair up nicely, which will be my go-to rod in Belize next month.

So I guess my case of 7wt Fever has subsided....for now. There is a Redington CPX 7wt back at the shop, after all...

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FFF - Federation of Fantastic Fridays

A distinct lack of interwebz in my new apartment has hindered any & all attempts at posting since last week's Friday Post of Randomness.

Add in moving, fishing, unpacking, etc., and all of a sudden, sitting down for an hour results more in symptoms of narcolepsy than words on paper...or screen.

So this routine should seem a little familiar: go grab a coffee, sit back and relax. It is Friday, after all; it's not like you're actually working.

FredRock 2012 Lineup

My good friends at BabZees Entertainment have announced the lineup for FredRock 2012, being held again in August at the Loyalist Rugby Club. I don't need to say how awesome it is that we're into year four of FredRock, with all but the first festival held at the rugby club.

The lineup for this year's show, being held over two nights, features a lot of talent, with a few of my favourites in there.

Matthew Good headlines Friday night, and Steve Earle...yes, that Steve Earle...headline Saturday night.

Supporting acts include frequent 411#3 embedded youtube talent Matt Mays & el Torpedo, as well as The Trews, AWOLnation, The Sheepdogs, Walk Off The Earth, Elliott Brood and Poor Young Things.

I think this is one helluva lineup for FredRock this year. Congrats to the guys at BabZees for pulling together such an event for the city of Fredericton (and at the Loyalist Rugby Club, too).

Musical Interlude

Here are a couple tunes from two of the acts on the FredRock 2012 lineup.

One of the Coolest Things Ever!

A few weeks ago I wrote about Robert Cunningham's book, Chasing Records; I had downloaded it to keep me warm & fishy while working in Nunavut.

A few days after I posted it, the man himself emailed me to thank me for reading and reviewing the book. Since I'm not bold enough to assume Mr. Cunningham is a regular reader, that's pretty cool in itself.

What's really cool is what showed up in my mailbox this week: a signed hardcopy of his book.

I appreciated just receiving an email from him. I really appreciated this.

Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.

(Note: I still remain envious of his boat & seaplane. I told him so in my email response. He still sent me the book. Honesty, people. Honesty. It pays off.)

The Birth of a Tournament Angler...

...takes place tomorrow morning. Though it almost wasn't going to happen; as I mentioned last week, my truck is awaiting new parts which prevents the towing of the Magnificent Basstard.

No worries, as my tournament partner Pat (he of the City Limits Muskie last year) also has a boat...which suffered from a broken trailer axle a few days ago. Fortunately he has it fixed up & running, so we should be good to go for tomorrow!

The rod quiver tomorrow includes:

• Cabela's CGR 7'6" 7/8wt, matched with Hardy Ultralite reel and Sage's Performance Bluegille Taper fly line;
• Redington's Predator 7'10" 6wt, matched with Redington's Rise reel & Rio's Smallmouth Taper fly line;
• Quantum's most inexpensive spinning rod & reel in existence, in case it gets dirty, stinking windy out.

The Long Stick Renegade, as Cameron over at The Fiberglass Manifesto tweeted to me a few days back. I like the sound of that. Stay tuned for a post-tournament report, and perhaps I will live-tweet the tournament action (@mattrevors).

Upcoming Stuff

• The cool folks over at Redington have sent me a pair of their Sonic-Pro Wading Pants to use & abuse. I had them on yesterday for the first time, and will be taking them to Alaska to test out.
• I'm heading to Alaska! For three weeks! But it's for work, and it's on this coming Tuesday, which is way to soon, considering I only got back from the Arctic last Tuesday.
• Word on the street is I'll have some grayling and possibly pike & salmon available in Alaska. I'm still in the decision stage of what gear to bring, but it looks like it's been narrowed down to my 5wt, 7wt and possibly my 10wt.
• The cool folks over at Rio have sent me one of their specialty pike taper fly lines for the 10wt rod to  demo (hopefully) on our local muskie population. Seeing that there are pike in Alaska, and I do have a score to settle (and asterisk to remove) with pike, I'm leaning towards the 10wt setup coming on the trip....just in case...
• Fly tying has taken a backseat due to the move & such, but I'm hoping to get back on my tarpon, smallie & muskie tying kick real soon.
• I'm currently reading Captain John Kumiski's Redfish on the Fly: A Comprehensive Guide. Read into that statement as much as you like, knowing what you know about my impulsive travel habits. And expect a book review at some point.

More Music...

...from FredRock 2012 performer Matt Mays & el Torpedo.

That's all for now

Have a great weekend, everyone; may all your fish be epic in fun...not size.

Packing List - Pt. 2

Time/Date: 1005, 09-Dec-11
Location: F'ton

2 days until departure.

To continue from part 1 of my packing list for Guatemala, this is where that whole 'packing light' thing somehow gets tossed out the window.

I've done fishing trips before (obviously) and I've done 4-6 week work trips before, but this is the first time for flying to another country for a week of a metric shitload of fishing for multiple species.

And I mean multiple species...like sailfish plus a host of other fish that might be around (marlin, mahi-mahi, shark, etc., etc., etc). Possibly some inshore stuff, including roosterfish. Stillwater fishing, with largemouth bass and carp. And also tilapia, which I only heard of because I think I ate some at a Tapas restaurant in Mexico.

I'm still trying to pack light, but shit quickly gets out of hand:

Sailfish rig:

• Temple Forks Outfitters TiCrX 9012-4pc
• Hardy Zane Saltwater 3 reel (not the Titanium one...I'm sick but not insane)
• Cortland's Billfish line (13wt/65'/clear intermediate sink tip)
• 500 metres of 50# gelspun backing

All-purpose Big Gun:

• Redington CPX 9010-4pc
• Redington Delta 9/10 reel
• Rio's WF-10I striper (?) line (clear sink tip)
• >300 metres of 30# gelspun backing

My lightsaber (i.e., don't leave home without it):

• Redington CPX 908-4pc
• Lamson-Waterworks Litespeed 3.5 reel
• Rio's WF-8F saltwater line
• Orvis WF-8I line (clear sink tip) - on spare spool
• >225 metres of 30# gelspun on both spools

The Little Gun:

• Redington Predator 7106-4pc
• Redington Rise 5/6 reel
• Rio's WF-6F smallmouth line
• 150 metres of 20# gelspun backing

The Fly Boxes:

• Saltwater box: Umpqua UPG, filled with everything from Clousers, Deceivers, crabs, Gotchas, rabbit strip flies and anything else that looked fishy.
• Misc box: Umpqua UPG Doublewide, filled with foam & deerhair poppers, freshwater Clousers, salmon bombers, hoppers, streamers, Stimulators and anything else that looked (freshwater) fishy

• Sailfish flies: big, f**k-off poppers in obnoxious colours with 6/0 & 7/0 hooks

Misc Fishing gear:

• Pliers, nippers, hook sharpener, etc...
• Mooseknuckle Lanyard
• Hip pack
• Leaders, etc.
• Buff, sungloves, sunglasses, etc; mentioned in part 1.

As long as I don't end up small stream fishing for trout, I should be covered...

Enjoy some music:

City Limits Smallie, S01E02

Time/Date: 1815 AST, 26-Jul-11
Location: Back home in ol' Freddy Beach

Dear Redington, Rio Products, and Chris Buckingham,

A quick note to say your fly rod, fly line, and bead-head wooly bugger all work splendidly. Much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mat

********
Below are 3 of the 8 smallies caught & released in probably the most epic 75 minutes of fishing I've ever experienced. I probably had close to two dozen takes. Gettin' all book-smart on bass fishin' paid off. Now just to improve my hook-sets :-/

ALSO: these were all caught within a 3 minute drive of the fly shop, in (what I proclaim to be) the best angling city EVER!!

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West Coast gear meets East Coast tunes

Time/Date: 0135 PST, 09-Jul-11
Location: Somewhere in northern BC, next to a bunch of glaciers

My roommate did me a solid & picked up a package for me at the courier yesterday.

This might not seem like a big deal to most folks, but this particular courier allows parcel pickup for approximately 17 minutes, split into uneven intervals, each day between the hours of 5PM-5:45PM.

I'm sure it wasn't convenient for him.

But this post isn't about foolish parcel pickup counter hours.

It's about the package waiting for my inglorious return to the right coast (as opposed to the left coast. I'm not implying which coast is correct).

The package, shipped from Bainbridge Island, Washington, is...

...my new Redington Predator rod & Rise reel.

Matched with Rio's smallmouth taper fly line (6wt), this will be seven feet & ten inches of popper-, diver- & Clouser-chucking, bass-fighting goodness.

Why does this particular rod belong in the quiver?

After catching a decent number of smallies on both my 9' 5wt (TFO TiCr) and 9' 8wt (Redington CPX), I came to the following conclusions:

• The 5-weight is a blast once smallies are hooked, but casting big deerhair poppers & weighted flies with it are a challenge.
• The 8-weight definitely handles casting those bigger flies, but overpowers the fish (which wouldn't be an issue if I was a tournament angler but...I'm not).
• Nine feet of fly rod is tough to deal with on overgrown banks of rivers & streams in town.

Combining a fast action tip in a 7'10", 6-weight rod with the aggressive taper of Rio's smallmouth line, the Predator rod should be the ticket for casting those bigger flies in confined spaces.

Of course, with this setup being more for city than country, I decided to forego the typical gunmetal grey & smoke finishes of my Lamson & Redington reels. This called for some flash. A little bling-bling. I wanted a reel that shouted, "Here I am, fishy, and damn, I look fly! Now get on my hook!"

Enter the Rise reel. Can you say P-I-M-P?

I can't wait to get home & try it out...once I come down from this mountain...

Here's a fun summertime song for y'all. I'm sure my singing of it last night kept our curious grizzly bear a little further away from the project site than he's normally been.

(Don't forget, Joel Plaskett will be playing FredRock 2011 later this summer. Ticket info here.)

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Hurry up & wait...

Time/Date: 0105 CST, 05-June-11
Location: Saskatchewan...still...

I'm making the transition to night shifts for my last few days onsite here. The new drill hole is taking some time to get started due to technical difficulties. I say technical difficulties as I don't want to dive into any more details than that for fear of losing my readers to boredom.

So there's a whole bunch of hurry up & wait going on in my life. All I want is to hurry up & get home, but that's coming soon enough.

Of course, there are a couple pluses to this: time at the tying vise as well as playing around with new apps for my iPod.

First new addition is DropBox. It's kinda cool, if you're interested in that whole 'cloud computing' thing. I have it installed on both my laptop and iPod. A free account nets you 2GB of online storage, with paid subscriptions available for many more gigabytes if you need them.

You should check it out, and, if you use this link to sign up, both you & I will receive an extra 256mb of storage for free as part of their referral program. Lifehacker has a few more methods to increase free storage amounts here.

Next up is Instagram, which is a photo sharing app. It shoots pics, modifies them with different finishing effects, and posts them to various social media accounts a person might have. I shot a couple pics this evening & I like what I see of the app so far.

Here's a screenshot of what it looks like when someone clicks the link:

Here are the two pics I snapped using Instagram (conveniently transferred from my iPod to my laptop via DropBox):

As for fly tying, the top pic is a black & white Clouser, aka a "Bow River Cop Car Clouser." Nothing fancy, but apparently it works. It brings the official count of Clousers tied here to 15.

The monstrosity below it is a chartreuse & white yak hair streamer, with striping on the chartreuse hair artistically done up with a black sharpie. It will (hopefully) feed a muskie on an upcoming adventure...if I can cast the bastard.

This will be my first time muskie fishing, and I'm fairly certain there aren't a lot of guys in New Brunswick chasing them with a fly rod. The muskie fishery in New Brunswick is relatively new, but it's catching on quick. I know I'm looking forward to giving it a shot!

This will also be my first time fishing with my new Redington CPX 10-weight, though I hope to get some casting practice in beforehand.

(If you have noticed an increase in mentions of Redington (Twitter: @RedingtonGear) lately, well, it's because I received their guide deal through my association with Fredericton Outfitters. And also because they make awesome stuff. Hence me choosing Redington over any other brand carried at FOA.)

Here's some music:

(I have really been pushing the Canadian content lately, huh?)

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